World Food Prize Honors His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej Of Thailand

[Jai Dee]

World Food Prize Honors His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand will receive the first ever Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Medallion, awarded by the World Food Prize Foundation. Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President of the Foundation, announced the award October 19 as a special commemoration of The World Food Prize twentieth anniversary.

The announcement came at a ceremony honoring the 2006 World Food Prize Laureates held at the State Capitol in Des Moines, Iowa and attended by representatives from more than 65 countries. The medallion is intended as a special honor to be presented to individuals at the highest levels of the international world who would not normally be considered for the World Food Prize, but who have provided exceptional humanitarian service in reducing hunger and poverty. The Medallion is named in honor of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Norman Borlaug, who founded The World Food Prize in 1986.

“Since his accession to the throne in 1946, King Bhumibol has displayed an unwavering dedication to the well being of his subjects, and a deep concern that they have sufficient food and proper nutrition,” said Ambassador Quinn. “His Majesty’s commitment to his subjects has been reflected in more than 2,000 Royal projects he has established throughout the Kingdom of Thailand, the first of which was initiated in 1952.”

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 24 October 2006

[Jai Dee]

Thai King awarded Borlaug Medallion for humanitarian efforts

The King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej has been named the first recipient of the Borlaug Medallion -- an award given by the World Food Prize to honor humanitarian efforts across the globe, Thai news group The Nation Monday reported.

World Food Prize officials tout the more than 2,000 projects the King has started in Thailand to improve agriculture, child health care and education. "Since his accession to the throne in 1946, King Bhumibol has displayed an unwavering dedication to the well being of his subjects, and a deep concern that they have sufficient food and proper nutrition," Kenneth Quinn, president of the United States-based World Food Prize Foundation, was quoted as saying.

The King was recognized earlier this year by the United Nations (U.N.) as the "Development King" as the King's projects have benefited millions of people across Thailand, with a focus on aiding ethnic groups and hill tribes in the mountain regions, the report said.

World Food Prize is meant to honor international figures who have helped reduce hunger and poverty. It is named after Food Prize founder Norman Borlaug, an Iowan who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for a wheat variety that helped to fight starvation in India and Pakistan in the 1960s.

Source: Xinhua - 24 October 2006